Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor - Facilities

MUSEUMS

Isle a la Cache Museum

Open

Open All Year 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Phone

815/886-1467

Location

501 E. Romeo Road, Romeoville, Illinois

Closures

This facility, operated by the Forest Preserve District of Will County, is closed on Mondays. It is also closed on state holidays.

Special Programs

The annual Voyageur Rendezvous takes place the second weekend in June. In addition, the Museum staff offers a variety of special events from spring through autumn. Call the Museum for more information.

Exhibits

The exhibits focus on the Voyageur-American Indian contact period of the mid-1700s. There are hands-on displays for all visitors.

Available Facilities

Restrooms; a canoe landing area along the DesPlaines River; picnic facilities; and a walking trail to the DesPlaines River.

Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center

Open

Open All Year

Open From March 1 To October 31 -- 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Open From November 1 To February 28 -- 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Phone

708/839-6897

Location

9800 S. 104th Ave., Willow Springs, Illinois

Closures

The site is closed on Thanksgiving Day, on Christmas Day, and on New Year's Day. The Schoolhouse, which houses the museum, is closed on Fridays.

Special Programs

The Schoolhouse, which is operated by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, has an active special events and regularly scheduled programs schedule throughout the year. Please call the Schoolhouse for more information.

Exhibits

The Schoolhouse has exhibits on local--Chicago region--mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and on the area's vegetation.

Available Facilities

Port-o-John restrooms. Several hiking and walking trails begin at the Schoolhouse and lead throughout the Preserve's grounds.

Will County Historical Society Museum

Open

Open All Year 1 to 4:30 p.m.

Phone

815/838-5080

Location

803 South State Street, lockport, Illinois

Closures

The building, home of the Will County Historical Society, is closed mid-December to early January and on state holidays.

Special Programs

The Society schedules a variety of special programs, including the annual Will County Folk Art Festival (last Sunday in April), the Journey into the Past (during Lockport's Old Canal Days during the 3rd weekend in June), the annual Will County Pioneer Crafts Festival (1st Saturday in October), and Pioneer Christmas in early December.

Exhibits

The building was once the headquarters of the Illinois and Michigan Canal Commission, the public body which built the canal during the mid-19th century. The exhibits feature displays on the construction and history of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, the IandM Canal Commissioners, and social and political history of Will County. There are farm implements in an adjoining building. The Pioneer Settlement, also adjacent to the Museum and the IandM Canal, is a group of mid to late 19th century buildings from all over the county, dismantled and then reassembled on the site.

Public restrooms; a small sales facility.

VISITOR CENTERS

Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park

Open

Open All Year 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Phone

815/740-2216

Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area

Open

Open All Year 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Phone

815/942-2899

Location

5010 N. Jugtown Road, Morris, Illinois

Closures

The Visitor Center is closed on weekends from December through February. The park itself is open year-round.

Special Programs

The site staff develops a series of seasonal special events dealing with the natural history of the Illinois prairie and with pioneer life on the priaire.

Exhibits

The Visitor Center contains several exhibits on the natural history of the Illinois prairie and how animals and humans have interacted with this unique environment. There is also a hands-on display for all visitors.

Available Facilities

Public restrooms. Self-guiding trails lead from the Visitor Center out into the prairie. Picnic areas and shelters are close by in another section of the park. There is an Observation Deck at the Visitor Center for visitors to look out over the prairie.

IandM Canal State Trail - Gebhard Woods Access

Open

Open All Year 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Phone

815/942-0796

Location

402 Ottawa Street, Morris, Illinois

Closures

The Visitor Center might be closed on holidays from autumn to spring. The park itself remains open year-round.

Special Programs

The park staff develops special programs on a seasonal basis dealing with the Illinois and Michigan Canal and with the natural history of the area.

Exhibits

There is a small display on the building of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. There also is a large rack which holds brochures of all the Illinois state parks.

Available Facilities

Public restrooms. Picnic tables and a few picnic shelters are located just a few steps outside the Visitor Center. Two stocked ponds and the Illinois and Michigan Canal are available for fishing.

Illinois and Michigan Canal Visitor Center

Open

Open All Year 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Phone

815/838-4830

Location

200 W. 8th Street, Lockport, Illinois

Closures

The Visitor Center, along with the other organizations in the building (Gaylord Building Historic Site), is closed on Mondays and state holidays.

Special Programs

In the Hands-On History gallery on the second floor, students, families, and researchers can explore connections between the Illinois and Michigan Canal and local, regional and national history. The Visitor Center staff will design trail walks, workshops, and living history programs to meet classroom curricula and organizational needs.

Exhibits

The "Illinois Passage" gallery on the ground floor introduces the story of the Illinois and Michigan Canal corridor to the public. The exhibits are a partnership between the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which manages the Visitor Center, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which owns the building.

Available Facilities

Public restrooms; small bookstore.

Illinois Waterway Visitor Center

Open

Open All Year 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Phone

815/667-4054

Location

On Dee Bennett Road, about 3 miles east of Utica, Illinois, and directly across the Illinois River from Starved Rock State Park.

Closures

None

Special Programs

The staff schedules tours of the Starved Rock Lock and Dam on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The staff also offers Water Safety Weekend in late May just before the recreational boating season. From January to March, the staff participate in an area-wide "Flock to the Rock," in which visitors are encouraged to watch the bald eagles which come to spend the winter and to feed in the open water below the dam.

Exhibits

The exhibits focus on the construction and operation of the Illinois Waterway, which opened in 1933 as the modern successor to the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

Available Facilities

Public restrooms. Sales facility operated by Eastern National Park and Monument Association. There is an Observation Deck for visitors from which to view boats and barges "locking through".